But By Every Word
From Pastor Kevin King
While studying the account of when Jesus was tempted of the devil, the Lord showed me what role the Word of God plays in us being able to overcome temptation. I discussed these roles in a recent Sunday message. To summarize, we can overcome temptation if we treat the Word of God as follows:
a. The Word of God should have the final authority.
b. Know what God said and know what God meant.
c. Walk by faith and not by sight.
During the first temptation, Jesus had just come out of the wilderness after fasting for 40 days and nights, and the Bible said He was hungry. It would seem the first order of business should be to get something to eat. When the devil challenged Jesus to turn stones into bread, He replied that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Wow! Even after fasting for more than a month, Jesus was saying that He wouldn’t eat until God gave Him the okay. The Word of God was the final authority in His life.
Something else that Jesus was saying was that the Word of God is not just the written word but also the spoken word. Being led by the Lord is being able to follow His written Word as well as His spoken Word. Jesus is telling us that the spoken Word of God can dictate any situation in our lives. We may think it’s time to do something, but God may think otherwise. But if that’s the case, He will tell us. If He does not, do what you planned.
If life was just about eating, then it wouldn’t matter what God says; I’m hungry, and therefore, it’s time to eat. Actually, we can replace eating in this situation with whatever else life can revolve around. Man shall not live by money alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. You may have a great opportunity to make a bunch of money, but are you prepared if the Lord says otherwise?? Man shall not live by a career alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Man shall not live by plans alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. You get the point. God wants the final say in our lives. He wants the liberty to redirect our lives as He sees fit. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it this way, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."
Since Jesus is emphasizing the voice of God, no one can say when He will interrupt our seemingly perfect plans. The written Word of God is yes and amen, and it is somewhat predictable because it’s written. But the spoken Word of God is totally up to Him. Finally, this all means we have to have a close enough relationship with the Lord that we can hear His voice. By all means, eat, make plans, make money, have fun, live life. But if the Word of God comes in the middle of that, let it have the final say, because man shall not live by "fill in the blank" alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
